This week has also seen Apple departures including longtime PR chief Katie Cotton and Zane Row, VP of Sales for North America. Today we’re learning about an actual addition to the family instead of a subtraction. Apple hired Ari Partinen, who was formally the Lumia Photography Lead at Nokia and is listed as one of the inventors of the PureView camera system.

Today will be my last day working for the amazing #Lumia family. In June I will start a new chapter in Cupertino, California. Much love!

The 8MP rear shooter on the iPhone 5s has also been regarded as an excellent smartphone-class camera, but there is always room for improvement. And while the addition of Partinen to the Apple family means that we’re sure to see an uptick in iPhone camera quality down the road, his contributions won’t come soon enough to be featured on the iPhone 6.

Speaking of the iPhone 6, Reuters is reporting that Apple’s next generation flagship smartphone will arrive a month earlier than previously thought -- the 4.7” smartphone is now expected to arrive in stores this August. Apple is quickly ramping up production of the iPhone 6, and has plans to produce 80 million handsets via its partners before the end of the year.

4.7" iPhone 6 mockup

The 4.7” version of the iPhone 6 will be the first to hit store shelves, but it’s been widely reported that a larger, 5.5” version won’t be too far behind.